Where have you found the best rates for the premium hotels?

[kniquy]

We are looking for a 3 night stay in April of 2023. I have searched some sites and have found some various rates. I know costco often has theme park package deals. The last time we actually just booked through the Loews hotel site and had no issues, but i wonder sometimes when the rates look too good. Where have you booked for the best rate for room only?

 

[dvc_cruiser]

we found the best rates on the universal site at about 30 days out or whenever the AP rates go out. Also keep checking almost daily the premiums can go up or down over 100 from day to day

 

[AJA]

Another vote for the Annual Pass rate. It isn’t always available, may be limited to certain categories, and limited days of your stay. But for less than 5 consecutive nights it is almost always the best deal at every hotel level.

If your stay is 3 plus nights always check the savvy traveler rate as it is usually available for most categories and dates.

Then there is a split stay booking using each one for certain nights (as in the AP rate is only available for a couple of the nights and you use savvy traveler for the remaining) but since it is two separate reservations you “could” end up having to change rooms.

The length of stay can greatly affect the price on site at Universal. If you are staying 7 nights (and take advantage of Savvy traveler) your rate will be much lower than 1-2 nights.

Prices on the exact same room can also change regularly. That’s what we always book Room Only directly. So we can rebook and cancel if we see a better rate pop up.

 

[keishashadow]

You can often save a ‘very’ few bucks over any potential AP rate booking early by using one of the established, big third-party agencies. Problem there is you pay in full upfront and, generally, cannot modify or cancel. No sort of customer service like using a standard travel agency as offered by DU, site sponsor here.

if a gambling sort, hotwire & less often, priceline, do occasionally have them pop up. Their 4 star system of ranking does put SF in the same category tho last i checked To cloud the waters.

Neither of the above is a great option if you absolutely want to be onsite and in a property that provides the FOTL perk